Water distributing apparatus, with automatic stop, for flushing purposes, particularly for water closets, or for other uses



Jun 24, 1958 J. VANDERHOVEN 2,839,760

'rus, WITH AUTOMATIC STOP, FOR nusnmc; PURPOSES, PARTICULARLY FOR WATERCLOSETS, OR FOR OTHER USES gl Feb. 2'7 1956 WATER DISTRIBUTING APPA 2Sheets-Sheet 1 .RN .m

N m l Z W J Z -A: 6 m a m f ATTORNEYS June 24, 1958 J. VANDERHOVEN2,839,760

WATER DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS, WITH AUTOMATIC STOP, FOR FLUSHINGPURPOSES, PARTICULARLY FOR WATER CLOSETS, OR FOR OTHER USES Fil ed Feb.27, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR 1 JEAN VANDERHOVEN BY Ell/m in? 6Loni/m U11 ATTORNEYS United WATER DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS, WITH AUTOMATICSTOP, FOR FLUSHTNG PUR- POSES, PARTICULARLY FOR WVATER CLOS- ETS, OR FOROTHER USES This invention relates to a flush tank arrangement,particularly for water closets and the like and in particular relates toan improved flush tank airangement which is relatively simple andreliable and quiet in construction and operation.

The flush tank arrangement of the present invention comprises,basically, a water tank under atmospheric pressure and there is a waterinlet into the tank and a flush valve outlet from the tank and a leverpivoted within the tank on a removable support for operating the valves.

For a better understanding of the explanation of the invention and itsoperation, the annexed drawings show,

atent O by way of example, apparatus in accordance with the g invention.

For this purpose, Figure 1 shows a front elevation of apparatus designedto supply a water closet.

Figure 2 shows a profile View of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a section taken on the line IVIV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows, on a larger scale, a section taken on the line V-V ofFigure 1.

Figure 5a shows a plan view of the cross-piece 1.

Figure 6 shows an elevational view of the traverse upon which thecontrol device is mounted.

Figure 7 shows a plan view of the part shown in Figure 6.

With reference to the above figures, 1 shows the cylindrical wall of thetank, and 1 and 1 the front and rear walls respectively. The wall 1 inits top portion is provided with an opening or window closed by a cover41 engaging at one end, at 41, under the edge of the wall 1 of the tankand resting at the other end on a part 1 provided with a threaded pin 1engaging in a hole 41 of the cover, which is then fixed by a nut 1 seeFigures 2, 3, 8. On the bottom of the cylindrical wall 1 of the tankthere is fixed a tube 2, see Figure 5, provided on the outside, at 3,with a thread designed to receive the coupling 3 of the feed pipe forwater under pressure, and on the inside with a ring 4, the inside thread5 of which engages a nozzle 6 having a central conduit 7 openinglaterally into the inside of the tube, into the annular space 2 formedby 2 and another concentric tube 8 fixed, for example, at 8 on the peakof the nozzle 6. This tube 8 is completely closed at its top part by aplug 10 and is at its bottom part provided with the apertures 9 openinginto the annular chamber 2 This tube 8 is designed to form at 8' an aircushion designed to prevent the hammering which might arise.

The top end of the tube 2, disposed inside the tank which will later bedesignated 1, is closed by a plug 11 in the form of a ring, insidewhich, at 12, there is screwed air bell 18, secured by a ring such as19, capping the top end of the tube 2. At 16 there is provided on thestem 16 a gudgeon pin limiting the descent of the bell 18. The stem 16passes through and is guided in the opening 23 of a traverse 21 whichwill be discussed below.

On the bottom of the cylindrical part of the tank 1 there is fixed at40* a large pipe 40 serving to evacuate the water from the tank. The toppart of the pipe 40 which penetrates into the tank is fitted with aflange 39 for positioning the seating 38, which consists of a rubberring; a bell shaped rubber valve 34, the periphery of whose bottom face35 is plane and of annular shape, giving with 38 an effective sealing.This valve 34 is fixed, between parts 36 and 37, on its operating memberwhich is in the form of a pipe 32 which is open at both ends 32' and32*. Inside the tube 32 there is disposed a jointed rod or chain 31pivoted at 30 to one of the ends of the operating lever 27, and whosebottom end is, for example, a cross-piece 31 fixed to 31 andconstituting 32 slide on the inside surface of pipe 40 to center andguide device 3132. This tube 32 also serves as a channel for dischargingan overflow from the tank.

' On the top edge of the walls 1 and 1, see Figures 3, 4, 5, there arethe notches 24, serving as a support for the bottom ends of a traverse21 shaped as a U, of which 22 represents the wings which at the endsassume the rounded shape of the vicinity of the periphery of the edgesof the walls 1 and 1 The Wings 22 have indentations 22 to allow movementof the tube .32 towards the top, while the bottom of the traverse 21 hason the one hand apertures 23, for the passage and guidance of the stem16, and 23 for the passage of the end of the bar 28, and on the otherhand, the end parts 25 in the shape of legs folded back at about in thedownward direction, so that the traverse 21 can fit over the outsideface of the walls 1 and 1*, see Figures 1 to 5. Between the wings 22 ofthe traverse 21 there is disposed the pivot shaft 26 of a lever 27 whoseend 30 controls the raising of the tube 32 and whose other end has theaforesaid bar 28 extended outwards between the wings 22 of the traverse,to end in the control handle 29. The section of the bar 28 is such thatit occupies, apart from the play required for operation, the inside gapbetween the wings 22, which prevents the introduction of any foreignbody that could derange the operation of the mechanism. Thus the notch24 of 1 will always be obturated by the presence of the bar 28. Theother notch 24 of the wall 1, which is at the back, may remain open, orif necessary closed by a tongue 21 welded on the bottom of the traverse21 at the corresponding end.

Operation proceeds as follows:

The water being contained in the tank at the level XY, the dispositionof the mechanism is as shown in' Figure 5. If now the handle 29 ispushed in the direction of the arrow a, the lever 27 swings round shaft26 and the rod or chain 31 raises the bell valve 34, which enables thewater to run out through the pipe 40. At the same time, during theoperation, point 27 of the lever reaches the end 16 of the stem 16 onthe valve 15, which is pushed down, thus enabling the water underpressure which is contained in the annular chamber 2 to run out through13 in the direction of the small arrows, overflowing above the nut 13,and thus discharging into the tank. The air which under the bell 18 wasunder slight pressure owing to the rise of the water during a previousemptying operation, is then not under pressure, and the bell occupies,like the whole of the mechanism, the position shown by broken lines. Thetank being empty, the bell valve 34 falls back on its seating 38, andthe lever 27 rises, but the seating 14 of the valve 15 remainsuncovered, so that the water can continue to flow through 7, 2 13 andfill the tank. The water arrives at the level X Y and starts to compressthe air under the bell 18, and the latter starts to raise the stem -16and hence the valve 15, which operates to shut off the incoming water,which then, under its pressure, completes the closing At this moment thewater has reached the level X-Y' in the tank and a new dischargeoperation can be'etfected as described above.

It should be noted that the section of the water discharge passage at '7is smaller than the section of the discharge passage at 13*, in order toprevent the water outlet at 13* from receiving a pressure which mightcause a too rapid'rise of the bell 18 and therefore of the valve 15,thus preventing the Water from reaching the service level X-Y in thetank.

'Naturally, other details or variants of realization of the apparatusmay be considered without departing from the framework and scope of thepresent patent, which relates to water distributing apparatus, withautomatic stop, for flushing purposes, particularly for water closets,or for other uses, characterised as shown below.

I claim:

1. In a flush tank arrangement for water closets wherein the dischargevalve shuts ofi automatically when the tank is empty, the combination ofa discharge pipe, an operating tube, a bell shaped discharge valvesecured to said operating tube and seating upon said discharge pipe toclose the same, a lift member extending through the said operating tube,a supporting element on the bottom end of said lift member andsupporting the lower edge of said operating tube whereby upward movementof said lift -member will be transmitted to said operating tube andvalve through said supporting element, a pivotally mounted control leverwith one end connected to said lift member, an inlet tube for theadmission of water into the flush tank extending through said tank fromtop to bottom thereof and having a downwardly facing seat on the upperend thereof, an inlet valve at the upper end of said inlet tube andhaving an upwardly facing seat engageable with said downwardly facingseat, a surge chamber within said inlet tube in constant communicationwith the lower end thereof to absorb shocks originating from waterhammer and pressure surges and to restrain and regulate the pressure ofthe water during the admission of water into the tank when the tank isfilling, a bell connected to said inlet valve outside of said inlet tubebelow the top of the tank to be acted upon by the rising water in thetank to close the inlet valve when the water reaches a predeterminedlevel in the tank, and an extension on said inlet valve positioned inthe path of movement of the control lever to be depressed thereby so asto open the inlet valve when the control lever is operated to open thedischarge valve.

2. A flush tank arrangement as claimed in claim 1 in which said inletvalve is adjacent the upper end of the tank and there is a tubeextending from the inlet valve to the bottom of the tank for connectionwith a water conduit, and said inlet tube comprising a second tubetherein stopping short of said inlet valve and being closed on top, saidsecond tube having openings in its lower end to provide constantcommunication with the water in said first tube and to constitute saidsurge chamber against water hammer and pressure surges.

3. A. flush tank arrangement according to claim 1 in which saidsupporting element on the bottom end of said-lift member-is positionedwithin the discharge pipe directly below the tank, and comprises aplurality of substantially radially extending blade elements havingdownwardly and outwardly inclined edges of which the four outer pointsare engageable with the inside wall of the said discharge pipe wherebythe operating tube of the said discharge valve member tends to becentered on the lift member thereby.

4. A flush tank arrangement according to claim 3 in which the dischargepipe comprises a tube and the said radially extending blade elementsattached to the bottom of the lift member seat relatively closely withinthe said tube whereby the discharge valve member is guided to itsseating position.

References (liter! in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS362,897 McHugh May 10, 1887 580,208 Cahill Apr. 6, 1897 872,935 HarmanDec. 2, 1907 1,029,360 German June 11, 1912

